Parrilla, Jules Mak’s new restaurant in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, is all about “authentic Mexican cuisine”. The name conjures visions of sizzling meat, fish and vegetables on a smoking grill, and as I’m a fan of anything that’s been licked by flames, they had me at “Hola”.
A food pal who was at the opening preview advised me to check out the cocktails. There is a tie-in with Casamigos, the ultra-premium blue agave tequila that George Clooney and his merry men concocted after endless blind tastings in Jalisco. Diageo snapped it up for a cool $1 billion. Not too shabby for a hooch that was, according to their self-congratulatory blurb, initially just intended as a tipple for their mates.
Walk in to Parrilla and you’re immediately hit with the glow of backlit tequila bottles on an orange wall flanking a semi-open kitchen. The room’s bigger than you would expect, with a smart bar and a sea of banquettes and booths with sturdy wooden tables.
It’s Tuesday night, not exactly prime time, but it’s half-full with happy diners, and the cocktail shaker is at full throttle. Is Tuesday the new Friday? It’s Ranelagh, so, of course. I dive in with a Verdita Margarita. It has avocado syrup, which possibly explains why it’s €15, but it’s quite delicious: creamy, savoury and spicy. The wine list, while not particularly inspiring, does a respectable job of listing bottles below the €40 mark. We go for an Andaravia Verdejo at €29, a price point you don’t see too often these days.
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The menu arrives, a familiar tale of “bites”, “tacos”, “grill” and “sides”. The going rate is €9 for a modest pile of purple and yellow chips with guacamole, which we see landing at the table beside us. I start with the crab tostada (€15) – two crisp tostadas piled high with crab, tomato, radish, shallots and salsa verde. They’re fresh and light, with a nice kick, served on very good tostadas. Although not made in-house (the masa dough comes from the Mexican food supplier Balam), they have been hand-pressed on the grill by Yocelin Rivera Vazquez, who everyone calls Joy, which seems quite appropriate.
We hit a bit of a bump with the parrilla-cooked squid (€14). Either the Long Kasai Konro grill hadn’t been fired up sufficiently, or the curls of cross-hatched calamari overshot their target. There’s no char, no grill marks, just tough, chewy squid with nduja and garlic mayo trying their best to save face. A bit of a shocker. The empanadas (€12) – potato, peas and feta in crisp pastry with roasted pepper sauce and sour cream – are fine.
Thank goodness for the fish tacos (€13), two warm tortillas straight from the grill. Crispy chunks of battered cod are accompanied with guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle mayo and pickled onions – layers of flavour in every bite. The steak taco (€14) is also good: juicy, tender, seared nicely, working well with a creamy avocado courgette sauce.
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The main event, black sole a la talla (€44), comes with parrilla potatoes (€7), and here’s where I need a moment. The sole is slathered in an adobo sauce that’s smoky and tangy from toasted guajillo chillies, onion and garlic, but the fish itself? The sauce overwhelms the delicate sweetness of the sole; it would have paired better with a more robust fish. That said, it is plenty for two people and is definitely no hardship to eat. The grilled baby potatoes, served with aioli and chipotle salsa, are decent, but I would have liked them to be just a little bit crispier and more rugged from their time spent over the birch lumpwood charcoal.
For dessert, a slice of flan arrives (€6), cut from a larger dish, and it’s the real deal – condensed milk, eggs, and a dash of cream cheese for the Mexican way of doing things.
As for authenticity, that’s a loaded question these days. In terms of innovation, Parrilla won’t be comparing itself to places such as Hija De Sanchez in Copenhagen or Alex Stupak’s Empellón in New York, which is fine. In terms of pricing, it is understandably considerably more expensive than the fast casual Masa, making 777 the obvious point of comparison. The prices are similar, quite punchy without price promotions to soften the blow, but I would say the food is slightly better here at Parrilla.
It has charm. Most of the chefs in the kitchen are Mexican, and there’s enough on the menu to keep things interesting, even if the chargrill department needs a bit of a wake-up call.
Dinner for two with a cocktail and a bottle of wine was €169.
The verdict Live fire, Mexican-inspired food and zingy cocktails.
Food provenance Glenmar, gambas from Ecuador, FX Buckley beef and chicken (not free range), Silverhill.
Vegetarian options Padron peppers, jalapeño croquettes, aubergine tacos, and caramelised pineapple with tajin.
Wheelchair access Fully accessible with an accessible toilet.
Music Folamour, pop and soul.
